Device for the thermal treatment of synthetic fibers and filaments



g- 11, 1964 H. WILDEGGER 3,143,764

DEVICE FOR THE THERMAL TREATMENT OF SYNTHETIC FIBERS AND FILAMENTS Filed July 6, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 W NVENTOR Alvs WILDEGGER BY dwru sm' 4km ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1964 H. WILDEGGER DEVICE FOR THE THERMAL TREATMENT OF SYNTHETIC FIBERS AND FILAMENTS Filed July 6, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet v 6. 4.. 2 1 r0 9 I 6 W4 71 Y F w\ I F W/// W? lw/uyfi 4 7 d E 4 B 4 4m 0 H Iv 0,4 v u 4 2 1 yw mdmg 4m A'ITTQORNEYS United States Patent 3,143,764 DEVICE FOR THE THERMAL TREATMENT OF SYNTHETIC FIBERS AND FILAMENTS Hans Wildegger, Bobingen, Germany, assignor to Farbwerke Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft vormals Meister Lucius & Briiuing, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, a corporation of Germany Filed July 6, 1962, Ser. No. 208,013 Claims priority, application Germany July 12, 1961 9 Claims. (Cl. 18-1) The present invention relates to a device for the thermal treatment of synthetic fibers and filaments.

For the thermal treatment of synthetic fibers and filaments, especially for heat-drawing, heated devices are used and the filaments are passed over and in contact with the heated surfaces thereof. The known heating devices, designated as flat irons, consist of oblong metal bodies provided with a smooth surface over which the filaments travel and being somewhat arched in the direction of the longitudinal axis. The metal body is heated from the back by an electrical heater plate, and the metal body and heating unit are usually surrounded with an insulated case in a manner whereby only the filament ,7 or yarn traveling surface is exposed. Owing to mechanical damages and especially to the formation of grooves by the filaments running over the surface, the service life of the latter is limited and depends in the first place on the titer, velocity and kind of material of the filaments. Even slightly grooved surfaces cause capillary breaks and other defects in the filaments. It is therefore necessary to rework or regrind the surfaces of the flat irons after a certain time of working. For this purpose, the flat irons must be exchanged, with the machine being stopped, and completely taken to pieces to treat the running surfaces, generally by grinding and chroming. Besides expenditure of work, this mode of procedure requires a corresponding number of reserve fiat irons.

The present invention provides a heating device for the thermal treatment of synthetic fibers and filaments, in which a plurality of axially symmetric running surfaces for the filaments can be exchanged by turning. The heating device of the invention comprises (a) a swingable conical metal core which can be heated from the interior, (b) a multi-surface metal body provided with a corresponding internal bore, which is slipped over the metal core and whose surfaces serve alternately as running surface for the filaments, and (c) a correspondingly designed cap provided with a slit-shaped clearance running in the direction of the longitudinal axis, which cap surrounds the multi-surface metal body in a manner such that only one of the running surfaces is exposed while the other running surfaces are protected against loss of heat.

A device in accordance with the invention will now be described in more detail by way of example with refer ence to the accompanying drawings of which FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of the apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the device of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section of an embodiment of the apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section of an embodiment of the apparatus; and

FIGS. 6 and 7 are details of embodiments of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, particularly FIGS. 1-3, a heating unit 6, for example an electrically heatable cartridge heater, is disposed in a conical shaped metal core 1. Over metal core 1, a multi-surface metal sleeve member or body 2 is slipped in a manner such that it can be rotated on the metal core about its longitudinal axis.

The surfaces of multi-surface metal body 2 are arched in the direction of the longitudinal axis and have longi-' tudinally extending running surfaces 3 for filaments formed therein by an appropriate treatment such as grinding and chroming. Any desired number of running surfaces may be chosen. The number of running surfaces depends on the circumference of the multi-surface metal body and the required width of the individual running surfaces.

With the use of a material of good thermal conduc tivity, for example a light metal for metal core 1 and steel for multi-surface metal body 2, the intimate contact between metal core 1 and multi-surface metal body 2 ensures a uniform heating of running surfaces 3. I

To protect the running surfaces from damages and loss of heat, a cap 4 is slipped over multi-surface metal body 2. Cap 4 is provided in the direction of the longitudinal axis with a slit-shaped clearance 5 which exposes one running surface 3.

Multi-surface metal body 2 can be swung about an axis 7 and is fixed to a support 7' by a locking bolt 8. For heat insulation, an insulating disk 9 is disposed between metal core 1 and the pivoting end thereof.

The heating device of the invention oifers the advantage that the running surfaces 3 can be exchanged quickly. For this purpose, the next, already heated running surface 3 is rotated into position to replace the damaged running surface by simply turning the multi-surface metal body 2. When all the running surfaces 3 are damaged, locking bolt 8 is disengaged, the heating device is swung about axis 7 out of the direction in which the filaments run, cap 4 is removed and multi-surface metal body 2 is drawn oif from metal core 1 and replaced by a new one.

The heating device may not only be heated electrically but, as shown in FIG. 4, also with the help of steam or a hot liquid. In this case, metal core 10 has the shape of a hollow body whose front surface is provided with short inlet and outlet pipes 11 and 12 for steam or liquid.

A special mode of construction of the device of the invention is shown in FIG. 5. In this figure, the running surfaces 3 for the filaments are not formed by individual surfaces of a multi-surface metal body but rather merely by the circular surface of the core 1 itself.

Still another mode of construction of the device of the invention is shown in FIG. 6. In this figure, the metal core and the multi-surface metal body slipped over it have been replaced by a single appropriately designed piece 14 which can be turned as a whole about a longitudinal axis and is kept in a desired position by a springloaded stop 15.

FIG. 7 shows a mode of construction of the multisurface heating body of the invention in which the metal core 1 is rotatably mounted. By turning the metal core 1, a new running surface of multi-surface metal body 2 slipped over metal core 1 is placed in the clearance of cap 4. Spring-loaded stop 15 keeps the metal core in a desired position in a given case.

I claim:

1. A device for the thermal treatment of synthetic fibers and filaments comprising a pivotable supported metal core, heating means connected with said core for heating said core, a removable metal sleeve member which is supported around said metal core being rotatable around said core and whose surface serves as running surface for the filaments, a cap surrounding said metal sleeve member in which cap said sleeve member is rotatable, and a longitudinal slit in said cap which provides a running surface on said portion of the sleeve member exposed by said slit against and over which said filaments travel.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the heating means is connected with the core interior.

3 3. The device of claim 1 wherein the sleeve member has a plurality of flat filament traveling surfaces.

4. The device of claim 2 wherein the heating meansis an electr ical cartridge heater 5. The device of claim 2 wherein the heating means is a short core inlet and outlet pipe through which a heating agent circulates.

' 6. The device of claim 1 wherein the sleeve member has a circular inner cross-section and a regular polygon outer cross-section. I

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the sleeve member inner 'and'outer cross-section are circular.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the sleeve member surface is arched in the direction of the longitudinal axis.

'9. A device for the thermal treatment of synthetic fibers and filaments comprising a pivotable, rotatable and removable rnetal body, heating means connected with said body for heating said body, a cap which surrounds said body, and a longitudinal slit in said cap which exposes a portion of the body over and against which the,

filaments travel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS l i z i 

1. A DEVICE FOR THE THERMAL TREATMENT OF SYNTHETIC FIBERS AND FILAMENTS COMPRISING A PIVOTALBE SUPPORTED METAL CORE, HETING MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID CORE FOR HEATING SAID CORE, A REMOVABLE METAL SLEEVE MEMBER WHICH IS SUPPORTED AROUND SAID METAL CORE BEING ROTATABLE AROUND SAID CORE AND WHOSE SURFACE SERVES AS RUNNING SURFACE FOR THE FILAMENTS, A CAP SURROUNDING SAID METAL SLEEVE MEMBER IN WHICH CAP SAID SLEEVE MEMBER IS ROTATABLE, AND A LONGITUDINAL SLIT IN SAID CAP WHICH PROVIDES A RUNNING SURFACE ON SAID PORTION OF THE SLEEVE MEMBER EXPOSED BY SAID SLIT AGAINST AND OVER WHICH SAID FILAMENTS TRAVEL. 